Maximum number in a herd?

C

CBAnglo

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 February 2008
Messages
3,238
Visit site
Field is about 25 acres (no way of splitting it) and is used for about 6 months (Oct - March) grazing not good and soil is clay.

What would you say is the maximum number you would have out? Horses are out from about 6am to 4pm.
 
I'd say about 20 horses maybe a few more?? I'd sugest that the sheer size of the field should prevent too much poaching and given that the field is rested, it has time to recover...
 
I'd say CBfan's about right but if grazing VERY poor you'd need to put hay out so for 20 horses might be a lot of work - I'd probably keep it under 15.
Where my mare is now is clay - very wet & boggy in places and doesn't drain very well either. There isn't much grazing left with 10 on 14+ acres - she has to hay daily (main field of 9 acres was rested in summer) and it has to be transported uphill to the dry area so takes time/lots of energy !!
 
If the grazing is poor and it's on clay, but needs to be grazed for that long during the winter months then I think I'd go with about 10.
But I may be living in la la land
grin.gif
 
We regularly turn out large numbers of brood mares, one thing we have noticed is that it is best to keep to even number, if there is an odd one, it nearly always causes trouble!
 
[ QUOTE ]
If the grazing is poor and it's on clay, but needs to be grazed for that long during the winter months then I think I'd go with about 10.
But I may be living in la la land
grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, in an ideal world I would agree. However we are talking Essex, within commuting distance of London i.e. cram as many horses on as possible.

I think realistically 20 is the maximum, as some of them are very small ponies, there are only a handful of horses i.e. above 14.2hh. It is not hayed in winter, but the majority are only out from 8 til 4 - only a couple are turned out earlier.

The field is actually 3 fields together - one is about 12 acres, is on a slight slant and is ex-crop field i.e. no grass, the next one is about 10 acres and relatively flat and has grass and the smallest field is about 5 acres and has grass but can get a bit boggy as is basically a gateway. I would prefer to split into 3 groups but unfortunately you have to go through the first one to get to the second one to get to the third one. They have separate summer grazing.

My main concern is, isnt 20 rather a large herd? My horses have only ever been out in a herd of maximum 10 in 11 acres, and even then only a couple of hours a day (for London, that is considered really good grazing!)
 
If they are mainly ponies you may find that people don't want too much grass as they are trying to get the ponies weight down! I would say 25 ponies who are weight watcher types!

My pony has been in herds of 30 plus and I think it is too many really unless there is a huge amount of space so they can all go into little sub herds like they do in the New Forest.

He is much happier in a smaller group of about 10 like minded ponies.

Good doer ponies need different management so what is suitable for them might well be very different from big horses.
 
20 is fine in my experience, we used to run herds bigger than this (but we are talking absolutely gigantic fields). They tend to settle into their 'friendship' groups - the only pain was walking to the very far end of the fields, which undoubtedly would be in the rain...You need to make sure you have multiple water troughs, and if you hay, a large number of piles to prevent fighting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top